Sweet Revenge (4 page)

Last Chance Rescue headquarters
Paris

Noah McCall’s black eyes were penetrating and cool as he shook his head. “We’re not in the revenge business, Jamie. You know that.”

Sitting across the massive cherry desk from him, with every muscle in her body almost spasming with tension, she carefully watched the man’s face. She’d known him for a few months and had only ever seen the compassionate side of the LCR leader. As she had explained her position, his expression had grown noticeably harder.

Unwilling for him to think her plan was so self-serving, she said, “Revenge isn’t my only reason.”

“But a large part. Correct?”

“Do I want to punish the man who purchased me like a toy for his son’s entertainment? Of course I do. But Reddington’s done and will continue to do much worse things than what he did to me. He has to be stopped.” She gave a nonchalant shrug, not feeling nonchalant in the least. “Revenge is merely a by-product. The icing on the cake.”

The black eyes narrowed and turned flinty, no doubt trying to pierce the thin veil of bravado she had going for her. Little did Noah realize that he could cut straight through her till he saw daylight and she wouldn’t change her mind. Yes, she was terrified, and yes, she knew she had a long road ahead of her, but that didn’t mean she was any less determined.

“I still haven’t talked to the prosecutor’s office,” Noah said. “And I know Lucas has got a call in to them, too. There’re still avenues that haven’t been explored. Don’t give up hope that he can’t be—”

She snorted softly. “Let’s not lie to each other, Noah. Reddington’s claim that he and his son found me in a ditch and nursed me back to health wouldn’t fly for most people. Stanford Reddington is not most people. He’s got so much power and influence in Spain, even if the charges did stick long enough to go to trial, there’s no way he’d ever be convicted.”

The grim set of Noah’s mouth told her he wanted to argue with her, but she knew he couldn’t. Despite having the police there when she’d been rescued and even though two people, one of whom was her sister, had been shot, Reddington had finagled the telling of the story so well that, on the surface, he looked like a cross between a fairy godfather and the Good Samaritan. He’d only been trying to do the right thing, and look what it’d gotten him. Poor, misunderstood bastard.

The things she’d heard while she was in that house of horrors had been amazingly detailed but, in the end, pointless for the prosecution. Her word against his. And Reddington’s held a hell of a lot more weight.

The phone call she’d received yesterday, before the wedding, had confirmed what she’d long suspected was going to happen.
“We’re so sorry, Ms. Kendrick. Without actual, physical proof, there’s nothing more we can do.”

The man was not only going to get away with what he’d done to her, he was getting away with so much more—horrendous, vile things that had been going on for years. He had to be stopped. Despite the fear, the knowledge that she wasn’t trained for this, she had to be involved in bringing him to justice. There was no other option.

“I can’t be the only person LCR has rescued who’s asked to work for you.”

“Is that what you’re asking … to be an LCR operative?”

Was it? She didn’t know. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Do you ever train people to be operatives and then, if they decide it’s not for them, let them go?”

Though he didn’t smile, she saw a spark of amusement in his expression. “Working for LCR isn’t a prison sentence, Jamie. I’ve had a couple of people who chose different paths after a year or so. And several of our operatives came from successful rescues.” All amusement gone, he leaned forward. “What I do insist is that my operatives are focused solely on the well-being of others, not their own agenda. Rescuing will always be our primary reason to exist.”

“But in this case, there are people to be rescued.”

“Then we can find them, without your help.”

She raised her chin determinedly. “I want to be involved.”

“Having an operative go after their abuser or abductor is asking for trouble. Personal involvement can screw up your thinking.”

Jamie took a silent, bracing breath. Might as well go for broke. When Noah refused, which she now had no doubt he would, she could get up and leave, and go on to her second choice. “I’m giving you an opportunity, Noah.”

“What do you mean?”

“With or without your help, I’m going to get what I need to stop the man. If you want to be involved, this is your chance.”

Only by a small, subtle shift in his body could she tell that she had surprised him. “And if I don’t agree …?”

“LCR is my first choice, but there are other organizations and people who would be more than happy to assist me. I wanted to give you the first right of refusal.” She leaned forward and said, “What’s it going to be?”

Jamie watched coolly as McCall pondered her challenge. Hiding behind a mask had been her way of life for years, so she wasn’t worried that he could see the emotions jumping through her like popping corn in an overheated popcorn machine. Dylan Savage was one of the few people who had the ability to destroy her carefully built façade. Thankfully, he wasn’t here to challenge her.

Her ability to hide her thoughts from others was one of the biggest reasons she knew she could do this job. Being someone else would be no problem. Defending herself if something went wrong was most certainly an issue. She was just hoping that Noah would see fit to offer her a solution.

As she waited for his answer, her sister’s face came to her mind. McKenna was going to kill her. Okay, probably not kill her, but she was going to be very upset. Her sister had risked her life to save her. How was she going to react once she learned that Jamie planned to pursue the devil in his own backyard?

Noah thought she wanted to do this for revenge. No way would she deny that she wanted revenge. That would be disingenuous; plus, she was human enough to want to make sure the bastard paid. But what he’d done to her was barely a ripple in the man’s dark pool of evil.

“Tell me what you’re suggesting.” McCall’s grim voice was a reminder that she still had some major hurdles to jump before she could even get to that point.

“I have no real concerns about being able to get inside or about getting the information I need. My biggest problem is, if I’m caught, I need to know how to survive. I’ve had no training. If I had, I probably wouldn’t have been taken in the first place. I need LCR to teach me what I need to know.”

“You’re not afraid that he’ll recognize you?”

“No, he only saw me a few times, at the beginning. My face was so bruised and swollen, even I didn’t recognize myself.” Odd that she could speak of something so painful and humiliating as if it had happened to someone else. Though the memories lingered, they were covered with a determination so strong, a need so fierce, that the hurt was buried. And if she achieved her goal, she could bury it so deep with satisfaction that anything remaining would be like a bad dream.

“What about his son Lance? He saw you after you healed, didn’t he?”

She didn’t even flinch at the sound of the disgusting name. “The prosecutor told me he’s been sent to live with a distant relative in Germany. He’s going to school there and has apparently been told not to return for a long while.”

“You’ve already told me you’re untrained, so what makes you think you can get anything? What qualifications do you have to get inside and get this information?”

The truthful answer would be “None.” However, she had something that trumped experience. She had inside information that could get her into the midst of Reddington’s family. She spoke fluent Spanish and had no doubt that she could play her role well. Last, and probably the most important: she had the sheer determination to do this job. To anyone else, it might be just another mission. To Jamie, it was her life’s goal.

“My lack of experience is a plus.”

“How’s that?”

“Who would suspect someone who looks like me of coming in to spy on such a powerful, wealthy man? La Femme Nikita I’m not.”

“Maybe you should tell me exactly how you think you can get inside and how you plan to get the information.”

She wouldn’t fall for that. “Not until after my training.”

“Why?”

“Because if I tell you, you’ll pat me on my head, tell me to go back home, and then you’ll do this on your own.”

“We
can
do this on our own, Jamie. Never doubt that for a minute.”

“I have a way inside that no one else … no other operative, would.”

“Are you willing to risk your life and risk failure if this doesn’t work?”

“I won’t fail.” Brave words, but she spoke the truth.

“What about McKenna? What would you tell her?”

She lifted her chin higher. Funnily enough, she’d rather face ten Noah McCalls than have to explain her plan to her sister. McKenna wouldn’t like it, but if there was anyone who could understand why she had to do this, it was her sister.

Before she could answer him, Noah spoke again, and this time, he went straight for her heart. “She almost died saving you. Putting your life on the line like this is a hell of a way to show your appreciation.”

The barb went deep, as he’d intended. Jamie refused to let the hurt show or the sting deter her. There were a lot more painful things coming her way. “McKenna will understand.”

“Will she?”

“Yes.” She glanced down at her watch—a defense mechanism she’d learned while living and surviving with Aunt Mavis. The tactic had worked with her aunt, since if Mavis didn’t look like she was getting a rise out of Jamie, she usually shut up. Though it probably wouldn’t work with Noah, the familiarity of the habit soothed her.

“Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you.”

“No. I either have your agreement now or I’ll leave and not bother you again.”

Yes, she knew she was on shaky ground, and she felt like crap for being so hateful to the man who’d done so much for her. Noah didn’t deserve this treatment, but if she didn’t stand strong, he’d never agree to her proposition.

His stare almost melted her, that Jamie withstood it. Determination and sheer adrenaline kept her from falling to the floor in a mass of nerves.

“All right.”

Instead of her nerves making her fall to the floor, the shock of his agreement almost did. Oh sweet Lord, he was agreeing. She took a moment to steady her heartbeat, which was now rivaling a runaway freight train for speed.

“Thank you, Noah. You won’t regret it.”

He gave her a final warning: “Be very sure this is what you want, Jamie. You get into this kind of life, it changes you in ways you could never imagine.”

As she was about to reply that she was willing to take the risk, Noah added an ultimatum of his own: “Before you start training, I need an assurance from your therapist that you’re ready to go through the challenges you’re going to face.”

Once again, before she could answer, he said, “That’s not up for debate. I have to know that my operatives are mentally tough enough to handle what’s expected. You’re no different. If you can’t agree to that, then we need to scratch the entire thing.”

Jamie wasn’t going to argue. The sessions had helped. Four days a week for the last two months, she’d been in therapy. The nightmares had lessened considerably. Her therapist, Dr. Sophia Schooner, would attest to her progress. Whether she would agree that Jamie was mentally sound enough to be an LCR operative was another matter. But having convinced Noah McCall, Jamie was sure she could convince anyone of anything.

She nodded. “I’ll have Dr. Schooner get in touch with you.”

“Does McKenna have any idea what you’re planning?”

“Not yet. I didn’t want to mention it before the wedding.”

“Tell her before she and Lucas leave for their honeymoon. I’m not going to proceed further until she knows.”

As much as she dreaded that moment, Jamie agreed. She wouldn’t keep the truth from her sister.

Noah stood. “As soon as you speak with her, have her call me.”

Recognizing dismissal, Jamie got to her feet. “Thank you, Noah. I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”

His expression not changing from its grimness, he walked her to the door. “Once we’re set with McKenna’s and your doctor’s approval, I’ll have Dylan contact you.”

The heart that had just settled into a normal rhythm went through the roof. “Dylan?”

“Yes, he’ll be your trainer.”

“But … I thought … I mean, isn’t he too busy?”

“No, he’s one of LCR’s best trainers. He’ll get you prepared.”

Noah opened the door for her, and Jamie, stunned into silence, wordlessly walked past him.

Dylan was going to be her trainer? The man who acted as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her? The man she couldn’t stop thinking about?

Oh sweet heavens, what had she gotten herself into?

Noah closed his office door. Took a lot to surprise him, but Jamie had achieved that and then some. Actually, it wasn’t surprise as much as shock. No way in hell had he ever anticipated that she would ask of him what she was asking. What he’d told her was true: LCR had many operatives who’d come to them through successful rescues. But most of them had arrived with a gritty toughness. Just how tough was Jamie? He would soon see.

She not only looked a lot like her sister, McKenna, but she obviously had the same strength and determination to overcome huge obstacles. Only McKenna was a trained operative; Jamie was an elementary school teacher. Could she be trained to be an operative? Maybe. But no way could she handle the job she was proposing. And no way could he allow it.

Though he’d tried to downplay it, she was right about Reddington. He was still waiting to talk to the prosecutor, but last night’s email from her had offered little hope. Even the police chief, who’d been a supporter in the raid to rescue Jamie, had backed down and apologized to the bastard. The officer who’d been shot during the rescue was on an extended leave of absence. Convenient as hell.

Noah understood revenge. He’d felt that need himself. But if what Jamie had overheard while she was in Reddington’s house was correct, any kind of revenge or personal vendetta had to be wiped out by the sheer necessity of stopping Reddington from what he’d been getting away with for years. LCR would do whatever it took to get the evidence to put him away. That couldn’t include involving one of his victims.